Monthly Archives: December 2016

Today December 30th is the Holy Feast of the Holy Family. The Feast of the Holy Family celebrates the human family unit, as well as the ultimate family unit: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. The feast, not a solemnity, is usually celebrated on the Sunday after Christmas. If Christmas is a Sunday, then the feast is celebrated on December 30th.

O God, our heavenly Father, who lovest mankind, and art most merciful and compassionate, have mercy upon thy servants for whom I humbly pray thee, and commend to thy gracious care and protection. Be thou, O God, their guide and guardian in all their endeavors, lead them in the path of thy truth, and draw them nearer to thee, that they may lead a godly and righteous life in thy love and fear; doing thy will in all things. Give them grace that they may be temperate, industrious, diligent, devout and charitable. Defend them against the assaults of the enemy, and grant them wisdom and strength to resist all temptation and corruption of this life; and direct them in the way of salvation, through the merits of thy Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ, and the intercessions of his Holy Mother and thy blessed saints. Amen.

Colossians 3: 1-21 Amplified
3 Therefore if you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, sharing in His resurrection from the dead], keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind and keep focused habitually on the things above [the heavenly things], not on things that are on the earth [which have only temporal value]. 3 For you died [to this world], and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, [a]appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
5 So put to death and deprive of power the evil longings of your earthly body [with its sensual, self-centered instincts] immorality, impurity, sinful passion, evil desire, and greed, which is [a kind of] idolatry [because it replaces your devotion to God]. 6 Because of these [sinful] things the [divine] wrath of God is coming [b]on the sons of disobedience [those who fail to listen and who routinely and obstinately disregard God’s precepts], 7 and in these [sinful things] you also once walked, when you were habitually living in them [without the knowledge of Christ]. 8 But now rid yourselves [completely] of all these things: anger, rage, malice, slander, and obscene (abusive, filthy, vulgar) language from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, for you have stripped off the old self with its evil practices, 10 and have put on the new [spiritual] self who is being continually renewed in true knowledge in the image of Him who created the new self— 11 a renewal in which there is no [distinction between] Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, [nor between nations whether] [c]barbarian or [d]Scythian, [nor in status whether] slave or free, but Christ is all, and in all [so believers are equal in Christ, without distinction].
12 So, as God’s own chosen people, who are holy [set apart, sanctified for His purpose] and well-beloved [by God Himself], put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience [which has the power to endure whatever injustice or unpleasantness comes, with good temper]; 13 bearing graciously with one another, and willingly forgiving each other if one has a cause for complaint against another; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so should you forgive. 14 Beyond all these things put on and wrap yourselves in [unselfish] love, which is the perfect bond of unity [for everything is bound together in agreement when each one seeks the best for others]. 15 Let the peace of Christ [the inner calm of one who walks daily with Him] be the controlling factor in your hearts [deciding and settling questions that arise]. To this peace indeed you were called as members in one body [of believers]. And be thankful [to God always]. 16 Let the [spoken] word of Christ have its home within you [dwelling in your heart and mind—permeating every aspect of your being] as you teach [spiritual things] and admonish and train one another with all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 Whatever you do [no matter what it is] in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus [and in dependence on Him], giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
18 Wives, be [e]subject to your husbands [out of respect for their position as protector, and their accountability to God], as is proper and [f]fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives [with an affectionate, sympathetic, selfless love that always seeks the best for them] and do not be embittered or resentful toward them [because of the responsibilities of marriage]. 20 Children, obey your parents [as God’s representatives] in all things, for this [attitude of respect and obedience] is well-pleasing [g]to the Lord [and will bring you God’s promised blessings]. 21 Fathers, do not provoke or irritate or exasperate your children [with demands that are trivial or unreasonable or humiliating or abusive; nor by favoritism or indifference; treat them tenderly with lovingkindness], so they will not lose heart and become discouraged or unmotivated [with their spirits broken].

Litany of the Holy Family
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God, the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God, the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.

(“Pray for us” is repeated as indicated by “…”)

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, …
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, most worthy of our veneration, …
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, called “the Holy Family” from all time, …
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, son, mother, and head of the Holy Family, …
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, divine child, pure spouse, and chaste spouse, …
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, restorers of fallen families, …
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, image of the Blessed Trinity here on earth, …
Holy Family, tested by the greatest of difficulties, …
Holy Family, with much suffering on the journey to Bethlehem, …
Holy Family, without a welcome in Bethlehem, …
Holy Family, visited by the poor shepherds, …
Holy Family, obliged to live in a stable, …
Holy Family, praised by the angels, …
Holy Family, venerated by the wise men from the East, …
Holy Family, greeted by the pious Simeon in the temple, …
Holy Family, persecuted and exiled to a foreign country, …
Holy Family, hidden and unknown in Nazareth, …
Holy Family, faithful in the observance of divine laws, …
Holy Family, perfect model of the Christian family, …
Holy Family, center of peace and concord, …
Holy Family, whose protector is a model of paternal care, …
Holy Family, whose mother is a model of maternal diligence, …
Holy Family, whose Divine Child is a model of filial obedience, …
Holy Family, poor in material goods, but rich in divine blessings, …
Holy Family, as nothing in the eyes of men, but so great in heaven, …
Holy Family, our support in life and our hope in death, …
Holy Family, patron and protector of our Congregation, …

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, pray for us.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.

Let us pray. O God of infinite goodness and kindness, who has deigned to call us to this Family, give us the grace to venerate Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, so that, imitating them in this life, we may enjoy with them the life to come. We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

The Holy Family is the name given to the family unit of Jesus: The Divine Son of God Jesus, his mother the Virgin Mary, and his foster-father Joseph. We know very little about the life of the Holy Family through the canonical Gospels. They speak of the early years of the Holy Family, including the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, the flight into Egypt, and the finding of Jesus in the temple.

Holy Gospel of Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23 Aramaic Bible in Plain English

13And as they went, The Angel of THE LORD JEHOVAH appeared in a dream to Yoseph, and said to him, “Arise, take The Boy and his mother, and flee to Egypt and stay there, until I speak to you, for Herodus is going to seek The Boy to destroy him.”

14So Yoseph arose, took The Boy and his mother in the night, and fled to Egypt. 15And he was there until the death of Herodus, that the thing might be fulfilled that was spoken from THE LORD JEHOVAH through the Prophet which says, “From Egypt I have called my Son.”

19But when Herodus The King died, The Angel of THE LORD JEHOVAH appeared in a dream to Yoseph in Egypt.20And he said to him, “Arise, take The Boy and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the Boy’s life have died.” 21And Yoseph arose, took The Boy and his mother, and came to the land of Israel. 22But when he heard that Arkilaus was The King in Judaea, in the place of Herodus his father, he was afraid to go there, and it appeared to him in a dream that he should go to the region of Galilee. 23And he came to dwell in a city that is called Nazareth, so that the thing would be fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophet, “He shall be called The Nazarene.”

Like this:

Many thanks to KD8MQ for sharing this he told me this was in his club’s December 2014 newsletter, Alliance Amateur Radio Club in Alliance, OH.

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
Ham Radio Style

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the town,
The snowstorm was raging, the phone lines were down;
The wind it did howl, the tree limbs did crack,
I hope that St. Nick isn’t forced to turn back.

The wife making cookies, the kids making noise,
While away in the shack, by my rig I was poised.
The finals were glowing, the mike gain was set,
I was chasing DX to see what I could get.

The bands were all empty, the frequencies clear,
Except one lone station that sounded quite near.
He was calling CQ and my interest did pique,
When he ended transmission with the words,”Old St. Nick”.

I answered back quickly, I used great dispatch,
If this were St. Nicholas, good God, what a catch!
We exchanged information, it was really quite graphic,
Then he came back and said,”I’ve emergency traffic!”

His reindeer were tired, his elves in a grump,
If he didn’t land soon, then his sleigh he would dump.
I thought very carefully, I thought very hard,
Then I gave him directions to my snow covered yard.

As he flew past my window, his hair like a mane,
He reined in his chargers and called them by name:
“Whoa, Anode! Whoa, Cathode! Whoa, Zener! Whoa, Diode!
Stop, Heater! Stop, Grid leak! Stop, Bias! Stop, Triode!

You’re flying too low! you’re flying too fast!
Look out, you dumb reindeer, his antenna mast!”
So into the backyard the reindeer did drop,
St. Nick, the elves, and the sleigh went kerplop!

Then at the back door, I heard this loud knocking,
“Open up in there, or I won’t fill your stocking!”
As I turned off the light and was leaving the shack,

Into the house Saint Nicholas came from the back–
His two-meter rig held to his hip with a strap,
“Hams do it in the shack” on the front of his cap.

The sack that he carried made his aged brow furrow,
And he handed me a card that read,
“QSL Via Bureau”.

His clothes were all sooty, from his shoes to his vest;
I felt like a novice taking his test.
His fingers were calloused and from what I could tell,
This came from a straight key that I’ll bet he used well.

I offered him coffee, I offered him smokes,
I tried easing the tension by telling ham jokes.
Then he nodded his head and raised up his thumb,
He smiled like an Elmer, did I ever feel dumb.

He grabbed up his sack and went straight for the tree,
And placed in it a large present for me.
When he finished his work, he stood up, took a bow,
Then out the back door to his team he did plow.
But I heard him exclaim as he flew o’er the land,
“Beware the FCC, friend, we were both out of band!”

Like this:

(sing) Prepare ye the way of the Lord! Prepare Ye the way of the Lord.

Jeremiah 13:6 (Amplified): Give glory to the Lord your God before He brings darkness and before your feet stumble upon the dark and twilit mountains, and [before], while you are looking for light, He turns it into the shadow of death and makes it thick darkness.

Ecclesiastics 3:1 (NLT): For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.

We are in the Holy Season of Advent, a time to prepare for the wonderful celebration of the Holy Nativity. What is the greatest sin against preparing? Procrastination. Let us define procrastination: the Random House Dictionary states: “the act or habit of procrastinating, or putting off or delaying, especially something requiring immediate attention”

Right now, today, this very moment your soul requires your immediate attention. Turn your hearts and minds into preparing for that beautiful moment when we celebrate our Saviors birth as well as to His Second coming. Take to the most Holy Sacraments especially Confession/Absolution and then the most Holiest of all the Sacred Eucharist! Pray the Rosary and yes even partake in our weekly Stations of the Cross!

Let us consider our Gospel reading today with the parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins.

The Holy Gospel of Matthew 25:1-13 (Douay-Rheims Bible): THEN shall the kingdom of heaven be like to ten virgins, who taking their lamps went out to meet the bridegroom and the bride. And five of them were foolish, and five wise. But the five foolish, having taken their lamps, did not take oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with the lamps. And the bridegroom tarrying, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made: Behold the bridegroom cometh, go ye forth to meet him. Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise: Give us of your oil, for our lamps are gone out.The wise answered, saying: Lest perhaps there be not enough for us and for you, go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.Now whilst they went to buy, the bridegroom came: and they that were ready, went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut. But at last come also the other virgins, saying: Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answering said: Amen I say to you, I know you not. Watch ye therefore, because you know not the day nor the hour.

This commentary from Matthew Henry sums up our task at hand. “The circumstances of the parable of the ten virgins were taken from the marriage customs among the Jews, and explain the great day of Christ’s coming. As Christians we profess to attend upon Christ, to honour him, also to be waiting for his coming. Sincere Christians are the wise virgins, and hypocrites the foolish ones. Those are the truly wise or foolish that are so in the affairs of their souls. Many have a lamp of profession in their hands, but have not, in their hearts, sound knowledge and settled resolution, which are needed to carry them through the services and trials of the present state. Their hearts are not stored with holy dispositions, by the new-creating Spirit of God. The delay represents the space between the real or apparent conversion of these professors, and the coming of Christ, to take them away by death, or to judge the world. But though Christ tarry past our time, he will not tarry past the due time. The wise virgins kept their lamps burning, but they did not keep themselves awake. Too many real Christians grow remiss, and one degree of carelessness makes way for another. Those that allow themselves to slumber, will scarcely keep from sleeping; therefore dread the beginning of spiritual decays. A startling summons was given. Go ye forth to meet Him, is a call to those prepared. The notice of Christ’s approach, and the call to meet him, will awaken. Those that take up short of true grace, will certainly find the want of it one time or other. An outward profession may light a man along this world, but the damps of the valley of the shadow of death will put out such a light. Those who care not to live the life, yet would die the death of the righteous. But those that would be saved, must have grace of their own; and those that have most grace, have none to spare. The best need more from Christ. And while the poor alarmed soul addresses itself, upon a sick-bed, to repentance and prayer, in awful confusion, death comes, judgment comes, the work is undone, and the poor sinner is undone for ever. This comes of having oil to buy when we should burn it, grace to get when we should use it. The suddenness of death and of Christ’s coming to us then, will not hinder our happiness, if we have been prepared. The door was shut. Many will seek admission into heaven when it is too late. The vain confidence of hypocrites will carry them far in expectations of happiness. The unexpected summons of death may alarm the Christian; but, proceeding without delay to trim his lamp, his graces often shine more bright; while the mere professor’s conduct shows that his lamp is going out. Watch therefore, attend to the business of your souls. Be in the fear of the Lord all the day long.”

Ecc 11:3-4 (KJV): If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be. He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.

Deuteronomy 23:21(Douay-Rheims Bible): When thou hast made a vow to the Lord thy God, thou shalt not delay to pay it: because the Lord thy God will require it. And if thou delay, it shall be imputed to thee for a sin.

Watch and be ready for we know not the great hour our Savior will return. We celebrate this season of penance and preparedness by searching our hearts, and our minds. Do not fall into the sin of procrastination; keep your lamp always ready and prepared. Veni, Veni Emanuel et Fidelis!

12/09/2016
The Amateur Radio Parity Act, H.R. 1301, died an unbefitting death as the 114th Congress of the United States drew to a close today. After having passed the House of Representatives on a unanimous vote, the bill stalled in the Senate due to the intervention of only one member, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL).

Over the course of the past year, Sen. Nelson has received thousands of e-mails, letters, and phone calls from concerned constituents asking for his support of H.R. 1301. Numerous meetings were held with his senior staff in an effort to move the legislation forward. Negotiations, which led to an agreement with the national association of homeowner’s associations and publicly supported by CAI and ARRL, were brushed aside by Sen. Nelson as irrelevant.

In a final meeting with the Senator’s staff earlier this week, it became clear that no matter what was said or done, the Senator opposed the bill and refused to allow it to move forward. Unfortunately, as the bill did not receive floor time, the only manner in which it could get passed in the Senate would be through a process that required unanimous consent, which means no one opposes the bill.

The legislation will be reintroduced in both houses of Congress after the 115th Session begins in January. We have already been in contact with the sponsors of the bill to allow for an early introduction, which will give us more time to obtain success. We believe that we can get his bill adopted given the fact that we were inches away from crossing the goal line. We will continue to need the support of the membership, particularly in Florida, as we go forward through the next year.

For more information please see this article from the ARRL for further information.

We have all heard the excuse of “Locker Room Talk” given for some of the most inhuman and degrading commentary on women I have ever heard. More disturbingly, now I am hearing more and more people say “All men do it”. That is a lie; all men do not do it. I will not deny that in our debauched society that many men do it, but not all – not by a long shot.

Let us be clear when I say this. I was a sailor on a US Navy destroyer in a much less politically correct time. Was foul language common? Absolutely. Did anyone ever use that language or any other language, to brag about assaulting a woman? Never did I hear anything like it, not even through shipboard gossip. Such an act would have shamed a man terribly.

Excuse us for living, but over the years of our lives many of us find we have need to call upon sources for spiritual sustenance. We need these fountains of strength to get through difficult or demanding moments or chapters in our lives. I look at these sources as my life anchors. These are very “portable” entities, separate from or outside customary church-going and organized religion. I refer to these anchors as “spiritual-lite.” They offer guidance, comfort, strength; solace, if you will.

The first is “Desiderata,” Latin for “desired things.” This poem, written in prose, words to live by, was very popular in the 1970’s and I found it personally instructive and inspirational. I used it in my middle school history classroom with my students. It hung on my podium as a poster and I would play a popular 1971…

Like this:

I don’t normally pay much attention to what the Bishop of Rome says but he has said something that is utterly ridiculous and Blasphemous!

Bergoglio the Blasphemer…“Pope” Francis: ‘The Church is like Mary and has Flaws’” he must recanto or face the fires of hell!

The direct quote is: “The Church and the Virgin Mary are mothers, both of them; what is said of the Church can be said also of Our Lady and what is said of Our Lady can also be said of the Church”…“Do we love the Church as we love our mothers, also taking into account her defects? All mothers have defects, we all have defects, but when we speak of our mother’s defects we gloss over them, we love her as she is. And the Church also has her defects: but we love her just as a mother. Do we help her to be more beautiful, more authentic, more in harmony with the Lord?”– Antipope Francis

Now seems to me Christ died for us and the Church making the church spotless and without blemish…or at least that is what the Holy Scripture teaches!

Ephesians 5:25-27 (KJV): 25Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

Revelations 19:7-8 (Aramaic Bible in English): 7We rejoice and celebrate! We give him glory, because the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has prepared herself!”8And it was given to her to wear fine linen, pure and bright, for the fine linen is the uprightness of The Holy Ones.”

To say the church is flawed goes not only against infallible doctrine but it is a direct blaspheme of Holy Scripture. The Church is self is not flawed, though we it’s members are we are sinners, redeemed by the bridegroom (Jesus), yet sinners still the same. To say our Blessed Lady is flawed is downright wrong. AVE MARIA, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. (The words of the Archangel Gabriel to our Blessed Mother).

“O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.” (Miraculous Medal).